We need each other
by loveforever7250
Summary: When no one else is there for her, she needs him to be the strong one. He's there for her, even through the hardest times. He won't leave, he can't. He needs her too.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I don't own this amazing series. Sad face.

I sat there holding her to me, as she stared, looking at nothing, but seeing everything. I knew what she was seeing. She saw the faces of the dead bodies as she killed them. She saw her sister, as she was blown to pieces by the bomb. She saw Peeta's rage as he attacked her. She saw everything.

I'm all she has left in this world. Her mother abandoned her, Gale is lost in his guilt, and Peeta upped and left her like yesterday's news. I don't know how, and I don't know why, but for some reason, she lets me in, she lets me take care of her. And that's exactly what I do.

Six months have passed since we've returned to District 12, and she has made little to no progress. All I can do is be there when she breaks down. On a good day, I can get her to talk and eat. Not very much, but enough to keep her alive. On a bad day, we stay in my room as I hold her and whisper comforting words to her.

Today is a bad day. I hold her to me as she stares at nothing, I whisper to her, saying things that she probably doesn't even hear, but after a while she's able to calm down enough, and I get her to sleep.

Once I'm positive she's sound asleep, I carefully get out of the bed and head out into the kitchen. Surprisingly, I've been able to stay sober this entire time, for her. I need to be okay, for her. I make something for myself to eat, knowing it might be awhile until she wakes up.

Knock knock

I stare at the door questionably. Who on earth would be visiting me? I get up with a sigh and make my way to the door. When I open it, my eyes harden, and I scowl.

"What the hell do you people want?" I finally growl out, after a moment of glaring at them.

"Haymitch, have you seen Katniss? We can't find her anywhere." Peeta asks me. I glare at them all some more, what right do they have to come asking for her? They all left her.

"And why, pray tell, should I tell you anything about Katniss?" I ask sarcastically.

"She is my daughter! I have a right to know where the hell she is!" Her mother screams at me.

I roll my eyes and,against my better judgement, I let them in. They sit on my couch, and I sit across from them on my chair. I don't know what to say to them, I don't do anything except glare at them.

Just then, I hear almost silent footsteps coming towards us, though it seems I'm the only one who notices. She walks into the room, looking emotionless, and sits herself down right in my lap. I smirk when they look at us, a shocked and horrified expression on their faces. I firmly wrap my arms around her waist.

"Nightmare, sweetheart?" I ask gently. She nods into my chest, and I pull her closer. "Which one?" I ask again, out of pure curiosity. She doesn't move her face from my chest, but I can feel her opening her mouth to answer me.

"The bad one." Comes the muffled reply. I sigh and run my hands through her hair, telling her to let it out. I hear a soft sob, and another, and another, until she is completely sobbing into my shirt, drenching it in her tears.

She turns in my lap and clings to me like a lifeline, sobbing and panting, like she can't breathe. I rub her back softly, careful of the small cuts and burns that still reside there.

"Let go of my daughter, you, you animal!" Her mother yells, getting agreeing nods from both Peeta and Gale. After a few minutes of them telling me to let her go, Gale steps forward and tries to take her from me. She looks up at him, and slaps him across the face. If I wasn't so damn shocked, I would have smirked.

"Sweetheart?" I ask, making sure she's alright. She looks at me and lifts her arms, telling me she wants me to pick her up. I pick her up bridal style and stand. I look at her questionably and she points to her stomach. I smile, genuinely, because she's actually asking for food, instead of being told to eat.

I sit her down at my kitchen table, and go to work on making her breakfast. I know she won't eat much, so I settle for making her some eggs. I set them down at the table and kiss the top of the head.

"Thank you sweetheart." She looks up and smiles at me, the first one I've seen from her in the whole six months we've been here. I can feel tears making their way down my face from the joy of seeing her smile again. She continues eating, and once she's done, she looks at her plate, as if contemplating something. She looks up at me and bites her lip.

"Haymitch...can I have some more...please?" She asks. Her voice so soft, I barely hear it, but I do, and I can't describe to you the joy that one question brought to me. I smile down at her and kiss the top of her head again.

"Of course you can sweetheart. Of course you can." She smiles again, and I know that she's going to make it, she's going to be okay. I don't know how long it will take, and I know it's going to be hard, but I know she can do it. And I'll be there right behind her, I won't let her do this on her own.

Because even though I know she needs me, she has no idea how much I need her as well. We need each other, and I'm not sure that anything can change that.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: again, I sadly do not own this series, no matter how much I would love to take Haymitch home and just lock him in my closet. You didn't read that :P anyways, onto the story! Hope you like it :)

Katniss POV

I open my eyes. my entire body is drenched in sweat. I'm shaking, and I want to cry, but the tears will not come. I can hear voices, voices I recognize. And this time, I know they aren't the ones in my head. I slowly get off the bed, and make my way towards the living room. I see Haymitch sitting on his chair. Later, I'll find that there are other people in the house, people that I know, and had once loved, but my focus is to get to Haymitch.

I walk over and sit myself onto his lap. He wraps his strong, comforting arms around me and asks me if I had a nightmare. After I nod, he asks which one, even though I'm sure he already knows. I tell him anyways. He tells me to let it all out, and finally the tears come. Slowly at first, then the next thing I know, I'm clinging onto him, sobbing and panting for breathe that I can't seem to catch. I softly rubs my back, whispering things into my ear. I can't hear what he's saying, but I know that it's nothing but comforting words.

Then, I feel someone grabbing me. It's not Haymitch. This strangers hands are too rough and not gentle at all. I look up and see a man trying to take me from Haymitch. I slap him in the face. I need Haymitch. No one is taking me from him.

I silently ask him for something to eat. This surprises both of us. And when I look up at him and smile, tears fall from his eyes, and he kisses the top of my head. I finish my plate, but find that I'm still hungry. I ask him for more, and I don't think I've ever seen him that happy before. He kisses my forehead and quickly makes me some more eggs.

After I'm done eating, I know I won't be able to eat for a while. I thank Haymitch, and he shakes his head, saying thank you to me instead. He picks me back up. I think he knows that his arms are the only place I really feel safe. He walks is back into the living room and sits us back into the chair. I take a better look at the people who are trying to take me away, and realize with a shock that I'm sitting across the three people that abandoned me. After the shock wears off, I'm hit with a whirlpool of emotions. Anger. Hate. Sadness. More anger. Frustration. Fear.

"Wh-why are you here?" I ask, my voice soft. They look at me with pitiful eyes that make me shake in rage. I turn to look at Haymitch, only to see that he's glaring at them with nothing but hate in his eyes. He senses me watching him and looks down at me. His eyes soften immediately, and he looks at me with nothing but love, adoration, and protectiveness. He kisses my forehead and whispers softly to me that he won't let them take me away.

"Katniss, why are you here, with Haymitch, of all people? Why don't you stay at your own house?" Peeta asks me. I look at him, part of me hurt, the way he talks about Haymitch, and part of me enraged that he thinks he has any right to be part of my life. I'm so angry that I can't even find the will to answer him.

I turn to Haymitch, silently asking him to take over. He nods his head and kisses my cheek. I get up and make my way back to the bedroom. Exhaustion takes over, and I find myself quickly falling asleep. The last thought I have before I'm completely under, is that I couldn't live without Haymitch.

I need him.


	3. Chapter 3

FUCKING DISCLAIM, I HATE YOU.

Oh, hi :P anyways...I'm not sure how much longer this story is going to go, but I know Hunger Games Hungry really likes this fic, so I'm gonna try my hardest! :) here ya go!

Katniss POV

I could feel his hands stroking my hair back. I opened my eyes and looked up at him. He didn't notice. I sat up and laid my head on his shoulder. He looked down at me and smiled.

"Hey sweetheart. How are you feeling?" I'm about to say that I actually feel somewhat okay today, but then I remember yesterday, and any hope of a good day is gone.

"Are they still here?" I ask quietly. He shakes his head, saying he made them leave a little after I went to bed. He kisses the top of my head and gets off of the bed, holding out a hand to help me up. I grab it, and he leads to into the kitchen for breakfast.

Breakfast.

Just the word makes my stomach lurch, I feel like I'm about to be sick. When Haymitch asks me if I want anything, I quickly shake my head no, I won't be able to hold anything down. He looks at me sadly, but nods his head.

We sit on the couch for a while, watching whatever was on the screen at the time, I'm not sure what it was. I wasn't really paying attention. Haymitch looked at me and sighs.

"Sweetheart, I need to go into town and get some food for us. We don't have much left. I know you won't want to come with me, so do you think you'll be okay here by yourself?" He asks cautiously.

I think for a moment, thinking if I can actually handle being alone. I slowly nod my head, even though doubt creeps its way into my mind. He gets up and walks to the door to grab his jacket. I walk up to him and hug him tight enough that he tells me he can't breathe. He promises to be back as soon as he can, kisses my forehead, and walks out the door.

I sit myself down on the couch. I can feel myself shaking, the anxiety of being left alone coming into me. But I need to try. I'm one step away from hyperventilating when someone knocks on the door. I look at it, uncomprehending the noise at first. Who on Earth is at the door?

I take a deep breathe and slowly open the door. When it's completely open, I can feel my heart stop, my breathing pick up, and I can feel the tears run down my cheeks onto the dirty floor. I take a step back. And another, and another,until I'm against the wall.

"Hello Katniss, may I come in? Thank you." He smiles evilly.

No. No, he's dead. I watched him die. He can't be here. But he is. He's standing right in front of me, smiling like a maniac.

"P-President S-Snow...w-what..?" I can't even finish my question. I'm too scared, too shocked. He starts walking towards me, holding out a single white rose. Another tear runs down my cheek.

"Surprised to see me, Mockingjay? I thought you might be. I came to warn you. You see, I don't like to lose. You will pay. You will DIE. Just be ready. You never know when we'll show up again. Next time, you won't leave unharmed." He smiles again, his face sadistic. He turns away from me, and walks out of the house.

I'm not sure how long I stood there. Seconds, minutes, hours. But the next thing I know, I'm running out the door, praying to whatever God there is in this world that I can find Haymitch.

"Haymitch! Haymitch! Haymitch where are you!?" Everyone looks at me, some stunned, some disgusted, some confused. I rush around, till I hear my name being called. I quickly turn around and see Haymitch running towards me. I launch myself into his arms and sob into his chest

"Katniss! What is it sweetheart? What happened?!" He asks, shaking me gently.

"Haymitch! Don't let me die! Please don't let me die! I don't want to! I don't want to die anymore! Please Haymitch don't let me die!" I scream.

"Katniss, sweetheart you aren't going to die, I'm not going to let you die, what happened sweetheart? Why do you think you're going to die?"

"President Snow, he's alive! He came to the h-house and said I was going to p-pay for making him lose. He said he's going to k-kill me Haymitch! Don't let him kill me! Please! I don't want to die!" I scream again. He looks completely stunned, the only other emotion I can see from him is anger.

"Katniss, sweetheart. I will NOT let him kill you. No one can hurt you sweetheart, not while I'm around. I promise." He whispers to me gently. I'm now aware that sometime between my rant and now he's picked me up and started carrying me to our house. I burry my head into his chest, letting out another sob.

He sits down on the bed, but keeps me in his lap. He whispers words of comfort and love that slowly lull me to sleep. The last thing I remember hearing before the blackness is...

"I love you sweetheart."


	4. Chapter 4

Do we really have to go over this AGAIN? It breaks my heart every damn time I admit that I don't own Haymitch...ugh. I don't own anything dammit. I swear they make us do this to rub it in our faces. Oh well, anyways. Enjoy! :)

Haymitch POV

I walked out the door and headed towards the Hob. Hopefully this wouldn't take too long. As I was making my way there, I had the absolute pleasure of running into the three people who came here and decided to fuck with our lives. They came up to me with stupid smiles on their faces.

"Hello Haymitch, how are you today?" Peeta asks me, even though a blind man can tell how much he's trying not to punch me in the face.

"I'm fine. If you'll excu-" I was interrupted by the head bitch.

"Is my daughter okay? What have you done to her? Why won't she talk to us?" This was getting seriously old...didn't I just tell them this shit yesterday?

"Katniss is fine! She's at home resting. I needed to go out and get some food for us. And no, you can NOT come see her." I said, emphasizing that their presence was very unwelcome.

"I don't see why she won't let us-"

"Haymitch! Haymitch!" Faster then I thought I was able to move, I was running towards her voice, trying to find her through the crowd of people in town.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, I see her. She's looking around frantically, trying to find me. I scream her name, and her head whips around. She runs towards me and launches herself into my arms.

"Katniss! What is it sweetheart? What happened!?" I shake her gently, trying to understand what is bothering her.

"Haymitch! Don't let me die! Please don't let me die! I don't want to! I don't want to die anymore! Please Haymitch don't let me die!" She screams. I was momentarily shocked, but put it off as some sort of nightmare.

"Katniss, sweetheart, you aren't going to die, I'm not going to let you die, what happened sweetheart? Why do you think you're going to die?" I asked gently.

"P-president Snow! He's alive! He came to the h-house and said I was going to p-pay for making him lose. He said he's going to k-kill me Haymitch! Don't let him kill me! Please! I don't want to die!" She screams again. This time I can tell she's not talking about a dream. I can't comprehend the fact that he's alive, only the fact that he wants her dead. No one hurts my girl.

"Katniss, sweetheart. I will NOT let him kill you. No one can hurt you sweetheart, not while I'm around. I promise." I whisper to her. I gently pick her up and make our way to the house. She continues to cry into my shirt, letting out waves of tears.

I lay her down on the bed, keeping her in my lap, and whisper to her softly. I looked down and watched as her breathing evened out and her heart rate calmed considerably. I brushed back her hair and kissed her forehead. Right before I fell asleep, I whispered softly in her ear.

"I love you sweetheart."


	5. Chapter 5

Just so y'all know, I have absolutely no idea what I'm about to write xD I'm just gonna make this whole thing up on the spot. Oh, and btw, I need your input on something, I'll explain at the end. So yeah, not gonna claim this wonderful piece of literature, but hey, I can write about it instead, right? On with the story!

Katniss POV

I woke up the next morning wishing it was all just a dream. It wasn't. I looked over to Haymitch and noticed he was still sleeping. That's odd. He's usually awake before me. He must not of slept much.

I slowly retracted myself from the bed and crept my way to the living room. I sat myself down on the couch and curled my feet underneath my legs.

Knock Knock

I froze. The door. The last time I opened it, I saw someone I thought to be dead. I slowly, very slowly, make my way towards the door and opened the door a crack.

Well, this is less frightening, but not very much more inviting. I opened the door a little more and let them inside against my better judgement.

"May I...help you..?" I asked softly. I'm surprised they even heard me. I sat back down on Haymitch's chair and inhaled his comforting scent. They sat on the couch and just looked at me.

After ten minutes of feeling like some sort if caged animal, I finally told them to say whatever they wanted to say.

"Katniss, you should come back to District 4 with us. You'll be so much happier there, and you can live with us, instead of that drunk. We can look after you properly." My mother says, smiling at me, waiting for my response.

I'm sure I look like some sort of fish. My mouth keeps opening and closing, I can't decide what to say.

"Are you kidding me? Why in the hell would I want to come with you? You left me! You all abandoned my like some puppy you found on the side if the road! I need to be here, I need to be here with Haymitch, who by the way mother, hasn't touched alcohol the entire time we've been here! I need him mother, way more than I need you. He saved me, mother. I'M NOT LEAVING!" I screamed, my voice getting louder with everything I said.

"Now Katniss, I think you need to think abou-"

"She said she's not going anywhere." I hear from the hallway. I smile and walk towards him. He opens his arms and I just glide into them. He kisses my head. "No I suggest you get out of this damn house, before I do something that I really won't regret." He says, his voice so calm, you know he's steaming mad.

They slowly left the house, and I could feel Haymitch shaking in his rage. I slowly turn around to face him and put a calming hand on his chest. He looks down at me and smiles. He kisses my forehead and leads us to the kitchen so he can make us our breakfast. I realize with a burst if joy that the word doesn't make my stomach lurch. Though I'm not necessarily hungry, I know Haymitch will want me to eat. So I do.

After we eat, he asks if I want to go take a walk in the secluded woods outside our house in the victors village. Biting my lip, I nod my head. He hands me on of his jackets, and I put it on, embracing the warm and comforting feeling.

We walk out the door and head out into the woods. He reaches over to grab my hand, and I take it without question. We stroll through the woods, and I realize with a shock that besides yesterday, this is the first time I've been outside. I squeeze his hand and we continue walking down the path.

I forgot how much I needed fresh air. I suppose I didn't think I needed anything besides Haymitch.

A/N: Alright guys, that's it for this chapter. But I need to ask you guys for an opinion. What kind of relationship would like there to be between H/K in the future? Father/daughter? Romantic? Friends? Let me know your opinion. Thanks!


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